Roadside America was a piece of true Americana, positioned right off the roadside of the both the US, then the Interstate Highway Systems. The idea of a huge miniature village might not have originated with the attraction, and other bawdier sites may have taken a former claim of largest miniature display (usually in *scoff* HO scale), but the twinkle in my eyes as a kid and as an adult when I walked around the display never diminished.
Sure, it was dated, sure the twice-an-hour tribute to (Christian) America might feel a bit forced in today's climate, but at the time it was created it was a heartfelt gesture.
Thanks to an every-changing world, a family business desperately looking for a buyer, and COVID being the nail in the coffin, Roadside America closed it's doors. Now, the bittersweet portion of the process has begun, the auctioning off of many pieces of the attraction, from hex signs, to pieces of the display, to the large Amish folks sitting outside to greet you.
The online auction ends on January 23rd, and with nine days left when I wrote this, while many items could be considered priceless to fans, there are not steals anymore. Many of the hand-crafted buildings are up to $200-300 bids already. Perusing the lots, one doesn't realize just how many bridges crisscrossed the display, almost all them scratchbuilt out of wood. |
| Definitely worth more than the $2,600 bid at the time of this post, but how to re-use if properly? |
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